Local Restaurant Update

Been getting a bunch of emails about these, in case you've missed the news while going about enjoying your summers:

- McDonald's is closed for a few weeks while it undergoes renovations. The entire chain has been revamping its menu offerings, and its look, to try to better compete with all the more upscale burger chains.

- The area's best Italian restaurant, Tuscan Hills, has moved to the Ovosodo space, closer to Ascan Ave. Ovosodo was an interesting "italian dinerish" concept by the same owners as Tuscan Hills, but never quite caught on with local residents. Moving closer to central Forest Hills is probably a good move for the superb Tuscan Hills, which was a little lost a few blocks further east. But, with Queens Blvd. suddenly a hotbed of foodie excellence (Queens Bully, Keuka Kafe, I can go on and on), it won't make much of a difference. Tuscan Hills deservedly has a ton of fans. And with the new bike lanes and improvements to Queens Blvd. coming, expect the Blvd. to experience a nice little renaissance in usability for purposes other than smelly, carbon-polluting cars!

- And Moca's new sign is up as it expands into two storefronts on Restaurant Row. This place was ok. With all the great places now in the neighborhood, it's kinda funny that Moca is the one expanding. Lord knows 5 Burro could have really used that bigger space! I'm tired of the two hour waits for a table whenever I go, whether it's a Tuesday, Wednesday, etc., etc...!

OvoSodo's Delivery Menu

The few blocks along Queens Blvd. from Ascan east now have some of my favorite food spots in Forest Hills, including the newest OvoSodo, Keuka Kafe, which I recently finally had the chance to visit for the first time and really enjoyed (and plan to post about soon), and Pollo Inca. And heading further down there's, of course, my big fave, Tuscan Hills.

Openings and Closings

Just some news from the past week while I was away:

- A reader spoke with the owner of the El Coyote Mexican restaurant, who says his new place in the Austin St. mall will be opening in about a month.

- @foresthills72 tweeted that Tuscan Hills' new place on Queens Blvd. will be called Ovosodo. I can't think of anything else in Forest Hills I am looking forward to more than the opening of this place (except to find out what the other concerts are at the Stadium this summer). Ovosodo will be going into the former Just Like Mother's space and is the place that will have Tuscan Hills' spectacular pizza and a variety of other foods.

Here's some details from the craigslist posting:
New restaurant in Forest hills looking for part time and full time employee.
Here are the position that we are looking for:
Line cook, Pizza man, dishwashers
Waiter, Waitress, busboy, Barista
Interview will be held Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at 
110-60 queens boulevard(between Ascan Ave and 73rd road)
Subway take the F train and use the 75th avenue stop
Bring your resume, No Phone Calls 
Ask for Marco or Roberto
The name of the Restaurant is Ovosodo, but we still have no Awning

- We lost what could have been an amazing cultural gem as a movie theater showing indie films like Kew Gardens Cinema does when Brandon Cinemas on Austin finally closed its doors, to be replaced by, joy, some type of medical clinic.

- And work began on turning the former Bike Shop on Queens Blvd. into what one reader says is going to be a sneaker and sportswear store.

Pasta Del Giorno Closes

Long-time Austin Street restaurant Pasta Del Giorno has closed. I used to go there in my pre-Tuscan Hills days. But ever since TH opened, that's pretty much where I go for Italian food. I am so eagerly looking forward to Tuscan Hills' owners' new pizza place opening soon in the former Just Like Mother's location on Queens Blvd., near Ascan!

Tuscan Hills Owners Opening New Place!

One of Tuscan Hills' luscious pies...

Awesome news this morning! A very exciting time for pizza lovers! I've rated their pizza the best in Forest Hills previously, so this place could very well be literally a slice of heaven for us!
 (Actually, the story says they are trying something quite exciting and new ... read on....)

New Italian-Style Bistro in Forest Hills Serving Up 'Pizza by the Inch'
The bistro will open at 110-60 Queens Blvd., replacing Just Like Mother’s, a Polish restaurant which closed last year.

Oh, and you know how I just tweeted yesterday how I think Queens Blvd. is the worst thing about living in Forest Hills? Well, increasingly not so much...

Favorite Food of the Month

I cannot stop thinking about the Stracciatella soup I had at Tuscan Hills several weeks ago. If you've never had this before, it's an italian egg drop soup made with spinach and parmesan cheese. I cannot put into words how delicious this was. It's currently my favorite dish of any restaurant here in Forest Hills. I highly recommend you give it a try!

Gloria Pizza - Early Review

I just visited our newest pizza place, Gloria Pizza, next to the Midway Theater and took home a couple of regular slices. My verdict: the pizza was very good. And, I also like what they've done with the place.

My first two regular slices from the new Gloria Pizza in Forest Hills.

First, the pizza. My impression is that it is a traditional type of New York City pizza, helped by a sauce that is both sweet and a tad more spicy (garlic I think) than is typical. And the combination of that and the excellent, crunchy crust, lands a regular slice at Gloria a notch above your typical NY style pizza. I want to try their pizza again, but on first impressions I might rework my ranking of my favorite local pizza to this:

1. Tuscan Hills
2. Nick's (pepperoni pizza)
3. Gloria Pizza
4. Nick's (regular pizza)
5. Portofino

If you prefer a more traditionally cheesy NY style pizza, then I would rank them this way:

1. Tuscan Hills
2. Gloria Pizza
3. Portofino

Gloria is a very close second to Tuscan Hills, by the way. For me, it depends on whether I'm looking for a more filling couple of slices (Gloria) or a lighter pizza with amazing flavor (Tuscan Hills).

As I mentioned above, I am also impressed by what Gloria did with the inside of the new place. It's a very airy, comfortable space. They did an excellent job.

So my initial, early grades:
Pizza (regular slices only, mind you): A
Restaurant: A

Taste of Tuscany

I had lunch at one of my favorite local restaurants over the weekend, Tuscan Hills, on Queens Blvd. Actually, I think it was the first time I've had lunch there, having until now only gone for dinner.

Just feast your eyes on this photo I took of their minestrone soup. Do I have to say how awesome it was?

By the way, Tuscan Hills recently doubled in size. Congratulations! This is one place that more than deserves its success. Not only amazing food, but excellent, friendly service.

Tuscan Hills Expands

A photo of the new part of one of my favorite local restaurants, Tuscan Hills, on Queens Blvd. They recently expanded into the space that became available next door...